pretty and sometimes strange old books and the world they live in

Take a HOLIDAY: Part 1

It’s time for HOLIDAY, a vintage American travel magazine published from 1946 to 1977. I first came across the magazine last summer–hiding in a box at an antique store (this is the kind of find that makes my heart race!). I knew nothing about the magazine, but I bought two issues based on the cover art alone (more on that in part II). And here are some stand out covers I found online:

In HOLIDAY, you and your family can live the good life by purchasing the perfect vacation, car, clothes and liqueur. Even as a modern reader living in these days of austerity, I feel like I should be sipping on a martini as I flip through the adverts…

HOLIDAY is a heady read at times–intelligent, sophisticated and hopeful–reflecting the spirit of mid-century America. I love Mary McCarthy’s dramatic description of the prestigious Vassar College, which was still a women’s college when the story was published in May 1951 (it went co-ed in 1979):

“Like Athena, goddess of wisdom, Vassar College sprang in full battle dress from the head of a man…it was the first woman’s college to be conceived as an idea, a manifesto, a declaration of rights and a proclamation of equality.”

HOLIDAY is now being revived by a creative team from France. You can check it out here.